Outside The Dream Syndicate

Introduction

This is an album that I play a lot. While I was aware of it in the seventies (it was released in 1973), I only properly discovered it at the beginning of last year when I bought the CD, although in the seventies it would have been vinyl or cassette or 8-track.

Outside The Dream Syndicate

My CD, which is playing at the moment, consists of two pieces:

From the Side of Man and Woman

From the Side of The Machine

However, the video I have shared with you contains an extra three pieces

1. The Pyre Of Angus Was In
2. The Death Of The Composers
3. From The Side Of Woman And Mankind

These, I believe, are from this live album, though Amazon have the same cover as the original:

In writing this piece, I discovered what the title means, as Tony was a part of The Theater of Eternal Music (a.k.a. the Dream Syndicate) with John Cale.

The album consists of approximately fifty minutes of violin drone from Tony with a slow motorik rhythm provided by Faust. I find it mesmerising and hypnotic, and hopefully, you can experience some of this in the YouTube video I have shared.

Admittedly, this would probably clear your house after a party, but I do enjoy it, I suppose, in a similar universe to Sunn O))) and the composers Peter Greenaway and Philip Glass.

I reviewed the collaboration between Scott Walker and Sunn O))) here:

Conclusion

While I doubt anyone on Vocal will like this, I do, and play it a lot. As I say, it is almost hypnotic, and apparently was recorded over three days, and to maintain virtually the same note for thirty minutes is impressive.

Remember that the opening to "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" by Pink Floyd stays on a single chord for almost five minutes, and that is considered audacious, though easier to listen to for most people than Tony Conrad.

Thank you for reading and various reviews of it can be found here: